The new Manhattan criminal court judge arrives: young, unorthodox Harold T. Stone. His first night is filled with grumblings from the court attorneys and the case of a wife who tried to shoot her husband.

Sheila: He has a friend named "Hacksaw."Dan: Blocky and Lefty must be caught in traffic.

Selma: I had a husband just like that.Bull: Oh, yeah?Selma: Yeah. I had to shoot him, too.

Cultural References

The title of the episode is taken from a 1967 Beatles song.

Bull: I think that's mercurial.

Bull's "word of the month" includes among its meanings "qualities of eloquence, ingenuity or thievishness attributed to the god Mercury" and "characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of mood," per the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

Lana: My, how...Bull: Minimifidian?

This word means "having the smallest possible amount of faith."

Lana: Is that a real word?Bull: Does a bear extravasate in the forest?

Extravasate means "to force out from the proper vessels, as blood, especially so as to diffuse through the surrounding tissues." It can also mean "to pour forth lava or the like."

Episode References

Harry: I own every record Mel Tormé ever made. I'm gonna marry the girl that's impressed by that.

Mel Tormé became such a central, if almost always unseen, figure in Night Court because series creator Reinhold Weege was a huge fan, as is Harry Anderson.

Harry: (signing for package) Thanks. Sorry, I don't tip. Besides, how do I know you're not the type to go out and spend it on a Barry Manilow album?

Throughout the series Judge Stone badmouthed pop singer Barry Manilow at every opportunity. This culminated in an argument between him and Christine when she defended Manilow's music in the third season episode "Hurricane (Part 1)".